Two New Born Girls One Day

HELLO

This is a great video that I post in tribute of:
Baby Christensen - born to Oliver and Kristin - for photos now
Katie Jaynes - born to Laura and Robert - when photos arrive

born this fine day
Congrats






http://creativity-online.com/work/view?seed=f61a9ac6

team mates

There are multiple things I enjoy about mackey's volleyball season, one of which is the feeling of team; first it starts with the girls all being basically nice people and second is the team managers have made an effort to engender a feeling of team. They have accomplished this through various efforts: team meals, team gatherings, pep talks and my favorite team shared trinkets and trash. Before each tournament the girls create / buy an item for their secret friend on the team. They have done t-shirts, valentines, custom head bands and more. I like the selflessness and the sharing both which lead to more caring. Below is the exchange, (my favorite volleyball player with the blond pony back to camera) before the first match of the day.

This morning we sit in Morengo, IL and it has started well. The team won their first set and mackey had a number of great blocks - a veritable wall of defense.

NCAAs

hard to blogg and watch a good game at the same time

Sports Saturday

We finished our house cleaning chores, Evan went to work and returned, Rindy went to Women's Day, so with that behind us we decided to go watch the NCAA's with Blair, Julie and Eden. It was a beautiful day for a quick drive to Watertown. Highlights as always include Eden and then watching Rindy & Blair get into it over who has the best picks for the NCAAs.

All good fun.

A little pizza then back home.

Human Fussball

A totally new sport that I have been introduced to and become a rousing advocate.
The basics are:

• 12 segments of 4-6 foot long lengths of pvc piping
• two teams
• 2 - 4 players per pipe
• teams laid out in Foosball formation
• lateral movement allowed - not up and down
• hold on to the pipe with both hands (better yet link arms behind your back onto the pipe)
• one church gym
• on soccer ball

results are a glorious time had by all - a great joint activity

only had my cell phone camera so my shots are fairly bland - the game was not - but they give you an idea

Free Photo Prints

We have a great new service and promotion going on right now.
WWW.officemax.com/impress
OfficeMax has launched an online photo service and for a couple of weeks you can receive 75 free 4 x 6 color prints - only paying for the shipping. Impossible to find a better photo deal and the quality is more than competitive. Go upload all those blog and facebook photos and send a copy to grandparents.

Chicago Farmers

I guess they moved from Iowa

Kiss Me I'm Irish

If one looks back in the archives you will note that Naperville hosted a Thanksgiving parade which we attended. Truly small town fun in a large suburb. Today was another parade in true Chicago tradition a St Patrick's Day Parade. The parade lasted around 2 hours with an interesting composition: 85% politicians, 5% animal humane society's, 10% a potpourri of Irish dance groups, radio stations, 2 bag pipe groups, local businesses, family clans, ect.; all of whom disperse candy along the parade route which was just a few blocks from our home

Rindy wants to either enter as a family clan, a dog escort, a families are forever float, or as a reappearance as Miss Roy. I could bring myself to take picture of the politicians but here are some of my favorite. . .

Dogs on parade (always the family favorite):

Bagpipers in kilts:

Belly-dancers (yeah it must be a south irish thing):

Irish dance club - all with ringlets hair extensions (another irish thing)

Irish girls gathering candy that is thrown into their umbrellas then transferring it to bags:

Friday the 13th

"Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

Friday night converged three interesting worlds.

At the Wentz Concert Hall on the North Central College Campus, in downtown Naperville, perhaps two miles from our home was a combined choral performance of the Armstrong High School Choir from Plymouth, Mn and the Naperville North Choir with a local Grace Community Church choir. Parker was in part a catalyst for the groups getting together.

The first number was a combined presentation of the three groups, wonderfully performed and the acoustics spectacular. Naperville then sang a and really did well; Armstrong followed with greater numbers and true to their legacy of quality, the church choir rocked and then the combined group finished with a Coplan number.

The music was a delight, as was seeing Trump, Kruise, TP, Eleanor, Liz, Dee, JohnErik, Fix, Principal Dahl and others. The world is small enough that one can stay connected.

Song of the Heart

We had an interesting discussion in sunday school regarding D& C section 25: 12 and the role and impact of up lifting music in the home, in church, in lessons, in thought and in behavior.

For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.

Listening brought back several pleasant memories including:

• Back in my mid-twenties i was teaching a class of a dozen 12 year-olds. They were a delightful if not energetic group. At the time there were bi-annual inservice lessons. Sharon Jansen taught a lesson regarding the employment of hymns to set a tone for a classroom before starting the lesson. Being both naive and faithful I applied the teachings the very next week with mixed results. I had the Tabernacle Choir recorded and playing in the classroom, welcoming the kids as they arrived. The boys came first. They sat down and then one came to the front of the room and turned off the machine commenting that since they were there i did not need the music to keep me company any more. Turning the music back on I commented that it was a spirit thing and could they indulge me. Shortly thereafter the girls arrived. Their response was more unanticipated - the girls sat in their chairs, rocked back and commenced to howl like wolves in accompaniment to the hymn. Enough said, I turned off the music. Funny sidelight at the next stake meeting when volunteers were asked to report, i was the only one who had sallied forth an effort
• At the blessing of Matthew neugent Christensen in slc it was the first time i had ever sat between Dale and my father as they sung. Dale sang on one note, a very interesting note; Dad sang on one note, a different one note from Dale, also a very interesting note. Impossible for me to stay on key between them as they sung with gusto, enthusiasm, and full of the Spirit. A great example of how the joy of a hymn can arrive without being in tune

• in October 1973, Elder packer gave his breakthrough talk on Worthy Music, Worth Thoughts. The essence of which is choosing a worthy hymn to replace degrading, fearful, or unclean thoughts when they arise and chase the negative, bad, evil away. My choice being then and today " More Holiness Give Me"; which has been effective these many years
• On my mission while serving in Drummondville, one sunday they congregation was asked according to parts of a choir and all songs were sung from the congregation as if in a choir, Another Sunday the meeting was conducted as found in Moroni 6:9 And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done. It made for a spectacularly, spiritual meeting, very powerful. And the music was sung as directed by the Spirit.
• In the St Paul Temple I have several times had the powerfully uplifting experience of listening to choirs while pondering and worshiping.
• Lastly, thought the pace at which we sing "High on a mountain top" might give others pause; is clearly, quickly rendered the family favorite to sing prior to family prayer. We have discovered that singing a hymn, prior to family prayed provides a spiritual break from the pace and daily spirit of the world and provides a needful and appropriate transition into family prayer

For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads, Indeed.

Wordle

I've discovered a nifty, new to me, utility - WORDLE. It maps the frequency and relative emphasis of a particular word out of a document. As my first test I had it map out part of Helaman Chapter 5. Fun thing to go try for your next sunday school lesson